A scene from the television series Portlandia, the first three seasons of which will be shown on April 13 at the Rio Theatre in East Vancouver.

The Rio Theatre in Vancouver is throwing an all-day party this Sunday celebrating a city that loves its bike-riding mayors, craft cocktails, farm-to-table cuisine and brunch lineups. And the city isn’t even Vancouver.

Portlandia, now in its fourth season, began airing on U.S. cable channel IFC in 2011. Created by musician/writer Carrie Brownstein and comic actor Fred Armisen, who are also the two lead performers, and Jonathan Krisel, who directs, the sketch comedy series sends up Portland, Oregon, and its denizens. From crafters to feminist bookshop owners to bike couriers, a number of subcultures — some familiar to Vancouverites — are gently skewered on the series, which also features guests like actor Kyle MacLachlan as Portland’s perennially optimistic, bike-riding mayor.

For Portlandiapalooza, the Rio will show the first three seasons, beginning shortly after 1 p.m. April 13. As a special treat for fans, Armisen has agreed to take part in a live Q-and-A via Skype, tentatively scheduled for around 6 p.m.

The idea of screening TV shows in a movie theatre isn’t completely new, but this will be the first all-day festival devoted to Portlandia.

“People are at home binge-watching TV, so why not come to the theatre and watch it on the big screen where the sound is amazing and the popcorn is delicious and you’re laughing along with people who love the show too?” said Rio Theatre programmer Rachel Fox.

Getting theatrical screening rights for TV shows is complicated, Fox says, due to licensing agreements. In fact, the Rio was eyeing a few possibilities, but the series’ Canadian DVD distributor suggested that the theatre approach the producers, Broadway Video.

“They were like, ‘Let’s make this happen,’” Fox said. “There were so many little loopholes and legalities, and ultimately we had to get Fred and Carrie to sign off on it. It’s a different beast from showing a movie.”

Since the announcement of Portlandiapalooza — Fox says the Lollapalooza reference is meant to recall one of the show’s earliest themes, that “the dream of the ‘90s” is alive and well in Portland — response has been positive. But advance ticket sales doubled with the announcement that Armisen is coming on-board.

“He’s very busy,” Fox said. “He’s on set for Late Night with Seth Myers, he’s launched the new season of Portlandia, he’s everywhere all the time. But Broadway Video said they got verbal (agreement) from Fred. They said, Fred will not let you down.”

One Vancouver fan who will attend Portlandiapalooza is Brooke Takhar.

“I adore Portlandia, and I love how smart and sly it is without being snarky or malicious,” the 36-year-old Vancouver writer, who blogs at missteenussr.com, wrote in an email. “Satirizing something without taking a s*** all over it is tough.”

And while series fans who actually remember the ‘90s are in no short supply, the show is also a hit with those too young to remember Nirvana as anything but their parents’ music.

“It’s one of my favourite shows,” 14-year-old East Van resident Audrey Kerridge said. “It makes fun of everything in East Van. It’s kind of making fun of the hipsters.”

She says her favourite recurring skit is the Women & Women First Bookstore.

“They make everything so over-dramatic,” Kerridge said of the two store clerks (played by Brownstein and Armisen). “Everything they say is such an overreaction to what is actually happening.”

Anyone under 19 is welcome to Portlandiapalooza, but they will be limited to the balcony.

The binge-athon will also feature craft beer from Portland, series swag (including 7” singles of the series’ signature song Dream of the 90s signed by Armisen and Brownstein) and, yes, plenty of birds, as per the show’s mantra, “Put a bird on it.”

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